VALLEY BOYS AS JORDAN FARMAR AND GILBERT ARENAS FACE OFF FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE NBA, THE DAILY NEWS SELECTS THE REGION'S ALL-TIME GREATEST TEAM.Byline: VINCENT VINCENT Vital Information Necessary Centralized (movie, The Black Hole) BONSIGNORE Staff Writer The phone call came in around 11 o'clock on a summer morning in 2002. The voice on the other end sounded frantic, almost. ``You gotta come see this kid play, just trust me on this one,'' the man said. ``What his name?'' ``Jordan Farmar Jordan Robert Farmar (born November 30, 1986) is an American professional basketball player at starting point guard for the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers. He was previously the starting point guard for the UCLA men's basketball team. ,'' he replied. ``And he's going to be the next great basketball player from the Valley.'' Calls like that are common in the sports department of major metropolitan newspapers. An overzealous fan sees a kid drop 30 points one night, and all of a sudden he's anointing a·noint tr.v. a·noint·ed, a·noint·ing, a·noints 1. To apply oil, ointment, or a similar substance to. 2. To put oil on during a religious ceremony as a sign of sanctification or consecration. 3. him the next Michael Jordan This article is about the former basketball player. For other uses, see Michael Jordan (disambiguation). Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. . But this call was different. The voice on the other end was Gilbert Arenas Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. (born January 6, 1982 in Florida[0]) is an American professional basketball player currently with the NBA's Washington Wizards. Arenas overcame his modest NBA debut, including being a second-round draft pick, to establish himself as one of the most Sr., and his opinion rated quite a bit higher considering his son, Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas, became one of the top three players the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. has produced. Arenas Jr. followed up a spectacular career at Grant High of Van Nuys to help lead the University of Arizona (body, education) University of Arizona - The University was founded in 1885 as a Land Grant institution with a three-fold mission of teaching, research and public service. to the NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association championship game in 2000-01. A two-time NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= All-Star, Arenas is averaging 28 points per game for the Wizards this year, his sixth in the NBA. Less than two years later after Arenas left the Valley for Arizona, his own father was identifying his heir apparent heir apparent n. the person who is expected to receive a share of the estate of a family member if he/she lives longer, or is not specifically disinherited by will. (See: heir) . Of course, by now we all know Arenas Sr. was right about Farmar. The mercurial mercurial /mer·cu·ri·al/ (mer-kur´e-il) 1. pertaining to mercury. 2. a preparation containing mercury. mer·cu·ri·al adj. point guard led Taft of Woodland Hills to the 2004 City title while earning McDonald's All-America honors. After that it was off to UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , where he guided the Bruins to the national championship game in 2005-06. Farmar is averaging more than 20 minutes in his rookie year with the Lakers, notable since Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson (born September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana) is the current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, an American professional basketball team. usually parks first-year players on the bench. The next great one, indeed. ``The crazy thing is, after Gilbert came through here everyone pretty much assumed it would be a long, long time before we saw someone that good come through this area,'' Taft coach Derrick Taylor said. ``Then, boom, here comes Jordan every bit as good as Gilbert, and in some ways better.'' On Sunday, Farmar and Arenas hook up for the first time on an NBA court when the Lakers play host to the Wizards at Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. . Their meeting begs a question local fans and coaches have mulled ever since Arenas left for college and Farmar stepped in to replace him: Who was the best, Arenas or Farmar? Which leads to an even bigger question: Who are the best players ever from the region? Whether it was Gail Goodrich Gail Charles Goodrich Jr. (born April 23 1943 in Los Angeles, California) is a former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is best-known for his part in the Los Angeles Lakers' 1971-72 season. playing on a broken ankle to lead Poly of Sun Valley to its only City Championship in 1961, or Don MacLean Don MacLean and similar names can refer to:
Some went on to win NCAA championships, others became NBA All-Stars The following is a list of players who have been selected for the NBA All-Star Game at least once in their career. Note that the number indicates the player's number of selections – not the number of games played. . One is in the Hall of Fame, his number hanging in the rafters at Staples Center along with all the other Lakers greats. It wasn't easy narrowing the group to 12 players, but here it is, the All-Time San Fernando Valley basketball team. With talent like this, the team could run itself. But just for good measure, we picked a coach, too. vincent.bonsignore@dailynews.com (818) 713-3609 Gilber Arenas GRANT OF VAN NUYS CLASS OF '99 Arenas was an unstoppable scorer, but it should be noted on the night he set the Grant record for points in a game (47) he also set the school record for assists in a game with 14. What he did: Averaged 32.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 4.6 steals as a senior. Two moments stand out: He scored 42 points at Crenshaw cren·shaw also cran·shaw n. A variety of winter melon (Cucumis melo var. inodorus) having a greenish-yellow rind and sweet, usually salmon-pink flesh. [Origin unknown.] in a performance so spectacular, Crenshaw fans swarmed him after that game just to shake his hand. Then, there was the dunk he threw down over a CanogaPark player that awed the home crowd into silence. Where he went: Played at the University of Arizona, where he averaged 15.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists over two years and helped lead the Wildcats to the 2000-01 NCAA Championship game. Now in his sixth season in the NBA, the two-time All-Star has a career average of 22 points per game, including a career-high 29.3 last year. Quote: ``I liked his game a lot. I was a big Arizona fan growing up.'' Jordan Farmar Jason & Jarron Collins Jarron Collins (born December 2, 1978 in Northridge, California) is a professional American basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. Collins is a notable graduate of Harvard-Westlake School and Stanford University. HARVARD-WESTLAKE OF STUDIO CITY CLASS OF '97 In some ways the twin brothers were trendsetters in that they took their size and talent to a smallish program, then transformed it into a national power. Keep in mind they lost just one game their senior year -- an overtime loss to Tracy McGrady's powerful Mt. Zion of North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. team in the finals of the Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. Christmas tournament. What they did: Led Harvard-Westlake to three Southern Section titles and two Div. III state titles. As seniors the Wolverines finished 36-1 and were chosen the top team in California. Along the way, the Wolverines beat traditional powerhouses Mater Dei Mater Dei is Latin for "Mother of God", referring to the Virgin Mary. The term has been used to name various institutions, often Catholic, including:
Where they went: Both went on to star at Stanford, and both are in their sixth seasons in the NBA, Jarron with the Utah Jazz and Jason with the New Jersey Nets. Quote: ``To have to face one 7-footer is a tall order, but to have to face two on the same team is downright unfair.'' Harvard-Westlake coach Greg Hilliard Darren Daye Darren Keefe Daye (born November 30 1960 in Des Moines, Iowa) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'8", 220 lbs. guard-forward from UCLA, Daye was selected by the Washington Bullets in the 3rd round (57th overall) of the 1983 NBA Draft. KENNEDY OF GRANADA HILLS CLASS OF '89 People are still talking about how Daye was named MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. at the 1979 McDonald's All-America game with a 22-point, 14-rebound effort while sharing the same court as James Worthy
Isiah Lord Thomas III (/aɪˈzeɪə/) (born April 30, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA, and is currently the head coach and . What he did: Averaged 31.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 4.0 steals per game as a senior and was generally regarded as the top prep player in the state of California that year. Led Kennedy to the 1977-78 City 4A Championship Game against Crenshaw as a junior. Where he went: Averaged 10 points during four years at UCLA, and averaged 6.8 points per game in five NBA season. Quote: ``Offensively, this guy could pretty much do anything he wanted.'' Taft coach Derrick Taylor Jordan Farmar TAFT OF WOODLAND HILLS CLASS OF '04 They all said no team from the San Fernando Valley could win a City Section championship, but then Farmar led the Toreadors to the 2004 title with a memorable playoff performance. What he did: Averaged 27.5 points and 6.5 assists and led the Toreadors to their only Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. City title in school history his senior year. In the championship game against Fairfax, Farmar made four consecutive free throws in the last 20 seconds to seal the championship. Farmar earned McDonald's All-America honors, was selected to the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Select team and the Jordan Capital Classic. Where he went: Played two years at UCLA, where he led the Bruins to the 2006 NCAA championship game. A first-round pick of the Lakers, Farmar is playing more than 20 minutes per game. Quote: ``He is a smooth point guard. He is very good with the ball. He has a great shot and he is more athletic than anybody thinks. I think he is going to be a solid pro.'' Gilbert Arenas Greg Hilliard It's one thing that Hilliard guided the Wolverines to three Southern Section titles and two State titles in the mid 1990s, but then he turned around and did the same thing less than a decade later when Harvard-Westlake won frou more Southern Section titles. Quote: "It's very humbling to be honored as the coach of such an illustrious team. I'd love to see how far this club could go." Greg Hillard Gail Goodrich POLY OF SUN VALLEY CLASS OF '61 The legend goes, UCLA basketball coach John Wooden was at a Poly playoff game watching the 5-foot-7 Goodrich. Wooden immediately turned to a friend and said: ``That little fellow from Poly is the smartest player on the floor. He's quick and he's just a junior and I'll be watching him next year.'' What he did: Averaged 22.5 points and was named L.A. Player of the Year as a senior, leading the Parrots to their only City championship in 1961. Goodrich played most of the championship game against Manual Arts on a broken ankle. Where he went: Helped lead UCLA to its first two NCAA titles in 1964 and 1965, earning All-America honors both years. Played 14 years in the NBA, and was the leading scorer (25.9 points per game) on the 1971-72 NBA champion Lakers, who set a professional sports record with 33 consecutive victories. Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame For Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, see Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. For other uses, see Basketball Hall of Fame (disambiguation). The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996. Quote: ``I grew up three blocks away from Poly and I had a key to the gym. I was there morning, noon and night
Morning, Noon and Night is a 1995 novel by Sidney Sheldon. . I can remember many times when my coach would kick me out late at night and tell me to finally go home.'' Gail Goodrich Stuart Gray KENNEDY OF GRANADA HILLS CLASS OF '82 Talk about pressure: Almost from the second Gray showed up at Kennedy he was being compared to Bill Walton and Bill Russell, the last two dominant big men in California. What he did: Selected the 1981 prep player of the year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association after averaging 31.3 points and 18 rebounds while shooting 68percent from the field. Led the Cougars to City 4A semifinals in 1981 after taking them to the finals in 1980. Was the City 4A Player of the Year as a junior and 1980 USA Development League MVP. Where he went: Averaged 7.5 points during three seasons at UCLA and averaged 2.3 points over seven years in the NBA. Quote: ``Just a big, strong, dominant big man.'' Former Cleveland coach Andre Chevalier. Joe Hillman Hillman was a famous British automobile marque, manufactured by the Rootes Group. It was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England, from 1907 to 1976. Before 1907 the company had built bicycles. HOOVER OF GLENDALE CLASS OF '84 A tenacious, determined player who could score at will. Put it this way: Hillman was the first player former Indiana coach Bobby Knight ever recruited from California. What he did: Averaged 41 points per game as a senior. But basketball wasn't his only thing. A great all-around athlete, Hillman was an all- Southern Section pick in both baseball (as a senior) and basketball (three times). As a sophomore point guard, Hillman rarely shot the ball but quarterbacked the Tornadoes to the Southern Section 3-A final. The next two years, Hoover needed shooting and Hillman accommodated with nearly unstoppable offense. Where he went: Hillman was a reserve guard on the Hoosiers' 1987 national championship team. Played briefly in the Oakland A's farm system. Now an avid golfer. Quote: ``This guy averaged 41 points before the 3-point line.'' Grant coach Howie Levine Brad Holland CRESCENTA VALLEY HIGH CLASS OF '76 Yeah, he could score at will, but he also consistently guarded the other teams best scorer. A terrific athlete. What he did: Averaged 34.5 points per game as a senior, including a career high of 57. Scored more points in a three-year varsity career (1,916) than any other CIF (1) (Common Intermediate Format) A standard video format used in videoconferencing. CIF formats are defined by their resolution, and standards both above and below the original resolution have been established. The original CIF is also known as Full CIF (FCIF). performer. Also played quarterback as a sophomore and junior. Where he went: Holland was the last player recruited by coach John Wooden, but never played for him. Holland became a part of four Pac-10 championship teams at UCLA from 1976 to 1979, two under coach Gene Bartow and two under coach Gary Cunningham. Selected in the first round of the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers, Holland was a member of the Lakers' 1980 NBA championship team. Played four seasons in the NBA. Currently the basketball coach at the University of San Diego. Quote: ``I was recruited to play football by Notre Dame, USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , Oklahoma and Nebraska but I wanted to concentrate on basketball my senior year because I thought it was my best opportunity to play professional sports.'' Brad Holland Don MacLean SIMI VALLEY HIGH CLASS OF '89 Long before Dirk Nowitzki, MacLean showed how a big man could develop an unstoppable outside shot. He rode that shooting touch all the way to the NBA. What he did: To this day, he's still the only three-time Daily News Player of the Year. During his his 89-game Simi Valley career, MacLean led the Pioneers to a record of 80-9 and averaged 26.3 points and 12.6 rebounds while shooting .630 from the floor and .835 from the free-throw line. Set school records with 2,343 points (fifth most in CIF Southern Section CIF Southern Section (commonly abbreviated as CIFSS) is the largest of the ten sections which comprise the California Interscholastic Federation. Its membership includes most public and private high schools in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, history) and 1,120 rebounds (eighth overall). As a senior, he led Simi Valley to the CIF 4A title, the quarterfinal round of the State tournament and a 28-4 record. Where he went: Averaged 20.5 points per game over four years at UCLA, and averaged 11 points over nine years in the NBA. Still the all-time leading scorer at UCLA. Quote: ``When he was on, which was often, there really wasn't any way you could stop him. A great, great scorer.'' Sylmar coach Bort Escoto Nigel Miguel NOTRE DAME OF SHERMAN OAKS CLASS OF '82 Miguel was Mr. Do Everything at Notre Dame, demonstrated by career highs in points (39), rebounds (18) and assists (10). What he did: Played under coach Glenn Marx at Notre Dame, where he earned prep All-America honors from Scholastic Coach Magazine and McDonald's. Averaged 23.1 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 55 percent on his field goal attempts. Where he went: Averaged 6.1 points per game during three seasons at UCLA. Quote: ``He was a unique player. Very good in a lot of different areas. Taft coach Derrick Taylor Trevor Wilson CLEVELAND OF RESEDA CLASS OF '86 Watching Wilson play, you always got the feeling he could have been a great football player, baseball player or track athlete. His athletic ability was off the charts. What he did: Led the Cavaliers to the 1985-86 City 4A championship game and scored 27 points and grabbed 20 rebounds against Crenshaw. Averaged 25.7 points and 15.3 rebounds while shooting 57 percent from the field as a senior. Where he went: Averaged 14.3 points in four seasons at UCLA and 2.3 points during four NBA seasons. Quote: ``He wasn't necessarily the most skilled basketball player on the court, but he was such a great athlete that he developed into a dominant player.'' Former Cleveland coach Andre Chevalier CAPTION(S): 16 photos, 13 boxes Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Many have debated who was the best boys' basketball player to come out of the San Fernando Valley, including Taft High alum Jordan Farmar, left, and former Grant High standout Gilbert Arenas. The two meet for the first time as pros Sunday, when Arenas and Washington visit Farmar and the Lakers. Daily News (3 -- color) FARMAR (4 -- color) ARENAS (5) Gilbert Arenas (6) Jason & Jarron Collins (7) Darren Daye (8) Jordan Farmar (9) Gail Goodrich (10) Stuart Gray (11) Joe Hillman (12) Brad Holland (13) Don MacLean (14) Nigel Miguel (15) Trevor Wilson (16) Greg Hilliard Box: (1) Gilbert Arenas (see text) (2) Jason & Jarron Collins (see text) (3) Darren Daye (see text) (4) Jordan Farmar (see text) (5) Gail Goodrich (see text) (6) Stuart Gray (see text) (7) Joe Hillman (see text) (8) Brad Holland (see text) (9) Don MacLean (see text) (10) Nigel Miguel (see text) (11) Trevor Wilson (see text) (12) Greg Hilliard (see text) (13) HONORABLE MENTION |
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